The Rescue
by LanaKrios
Summary: Bulma Briefs stumbles upon a remarkable sight while searching Frieza and King Cold's ship. Will this stranger become a new friend? Or will the Z Fighters have a new battle on their hands?
1. Feral Reptile

A/N: Hello! Lana here! This is going to be the main fiction for my OC, Tea (Pronounced 'Tay-uh' but her name is still a play on words. I figured I would name my OC something silly since all the DBZ characters are pretty much named after objects and food.). I released a teaser chapter called 'The Sacrifice' last month, if you want to read it before this you may, but 'The Sacrifice' is later in the timeline for this series so some of you may prefer to read 'The Sacrifice' later. I should say this may be a bit A/U, but I am going to try and keep the DBZ storyline straight.

Also, I have no beta reader. I'm going to find one soon, though. So, if you see mistakes or anything like that feel free to message me and let me know.

Disclaimer: Dragonball, DragonballZ, and DragonballGT are all owned by FUNimation, Toei Animation, Fujii TV, and Akira Toriyama. 

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><p>"Oh wow! The technology from Frieza's ship is going to give us an excellent edge!" Bulma nearly shrieked with glee.<p>

Goku shook his head and grinned softly. "Just don't get any weapons from it." He stated. "And don't take too long, this abomination needs to be destroyed."

Bulma scoffed as she stepped into the entrance of the ship with a scanner at the ready. "I just hope I can make whatever I find work." She smiled as she took parts from what she remembered Goku describing as a regeneration tank.

Trying to hurry through the ship, Bulma took a staircase to the lowest floor. "There has to be something use-ACK!" She shrieked and quickly covered her nose as a mind numbing odor of decay filled her nostrils. "Oh! I think I'm going to be sick!" She heaves. Bulma's eyes flick to the back of the room when she heard cloth moving. "Oh, Kami!" She cried as her eyes fixated on a skinny figure hugged in on itself as it shivered.

"GOKU! KRILLIN! SOMEBODY GET DOWN HERE NOW!" Bulma whirled to exit the ship and was met with a meaty smack to a rock solid Namek.

"What do you want?" His brows furrowed in anger as he braced the woman's shoulders.

"Somebody's here and I think they're hurt." Bulma pointed to the ball of flesh convulsing in the corner.

"Humph..." Piccolo scoffed as he turned to Bulma. "What do you want to do with it?"

"Take them back to Capsule Corp. Maybe we can get some answers." Bulma shrugged as Piccolo huffed and pulled the fragile being into his arms.

"It's a woman!" Bulma gasped in shock and immediately pushed Piccolo forward. "Hurry!"

Finally able to breathe fresh air, Bulma huffed deeply before turning to Goku. "We found a woman. She's hurt and I'm taking her to Capsule Corp. to get her help." Her breathe was normal when she stated, "I'm through with the ship, Goku." She then pointed at Piccolo and placed a hand on her hip. "You're with me, I can't carry her."

Piccolo rolled his eyes and growled at Bulma all the way to her car.

Bulma bit her lip as she looked over at the pale woman in Piccolo's arms. "You could've but her in the back..." She sighed.

Piccolo tensed, the woman's voice grated on his nerves. "She's too injured to move around." Content with the silence following his quick quip, Piccolo looked down at the form in his arms. '_I swear, if you're one of his henchmen I'll kill you myself, whelp.' _He scowled.

The woman he held had extremely light olive green skin, rough to the touch. Not knowing if it was her natural hue or due to her injuries he continued to observe her. Her thin eyebrows were knitted together in pain, and her perky, pointed ears flickered unconsciously following the noises of the air car. The woman had no hair, but she had what Piccolo could only describe as tentacles that flowed from her temples and moved liquidly as the movement of the car made the woman's head loll.

Once they were on the ground and out of the car, Bulma ushered Piccolo to one of the medical wards in the large building.

Laying the woman on the small, then bed, Piccolo huffed and before Bulma could thank him, he was gone. "Rude as ever." She shook her head.

Bulma looked down at the fragile form on the hospital bed. "Oh, I hope you're not a bad guy." She sighed as she went to the drawers to pull out cleaning supplies and bandages. Setting the materials on the table beside the bed, Bulma laid her hands on the woman before her. "Let's see if anything's broken."

Bulma pressed down on the woman's arm and legs, feeling for fractures or breaks. "Good, nothing broken here. Let's check your ribs." Bulma groaned when she felt multiple broken ribs. "Kami! What did they do to you?" she reached behind her to grasp the bandages to wrap the alien's torso.

Bulma surprisingly lifted the woman to a sitting position. "You must be severely malnourished." She remarked as she wrapped the torso of the stranger.

"There, all done. All I have to do now is clean the smaller wounds." She smiled and continued with her work.

"Please be friendly." Bulma prayed as she closed the door behind her.

* * *

><p>"Bulma, dear, could you hand me that syringe?" Dr. Briefs was eyeing the peculiar olive green girl on the small bed. "I want to run more DNA tests. This specimen is fascinating!"<p>

"Dad! She's not an experiment." Bulma scolded as she watched her father pull the woman's bright red blood into the syringe.

It had been about five days since Bulma found the woman. The only signs of progress in her health were the color of her skin brightened and her small wounds were scabbing over and closing.

Dr. Briefs had decided to learn a little more about the fascinating creature. He found that she shared similar DNA strands with that of reptiles and amphibians on Earth. He couldn't wait to search her genes farther.

Along with genetic makeup, Dr. Briefs had learned more about the being's physical appearance from Bulma. For privacy's sake, Bulma had been the one to change the woman's bandages and give her sponge baths. His daughter was willing to describe the female's body to him.

Bulma told him that the creature had no breasts or nipples, which had to be a result of her reptilian and amphibic genetic makeup. She also told him that the woman had elongated canines, or 'fangs' as his daughter called them, and an abnormally thin tongue. Dr. Briefs was anticipating hearing her speak his language. He knew that her abnormal tongue and teeth would make speech difficult.

The whole Briefs family was anxious for the creature to wake.

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><p>Nine days after Bulma rescued the mysterious woman, the Z Fighters decided to meet at Capsule Corp. to talk about the upcoming android attack. After their planning session, Bulma decided to have a cookout to feed her ever hungry Saiyan friends.<p>

"Okay everyone! Time to eat!" She called out and watched as Vegeta and Goku fussed over who would get their food first. "Calm down guys, there's plenty! I know you two would be hungry." Bulma laughed when Goku slipped in front of the angry prince.

"Kakarot! I swear I will blast you to kingdom come for that!" The pint-sized warrior fumed behind Goku.

Bulma smirked sweetly at Vegeta as she produced an enormous plate of burgers, hotdogs and fries. "Calm down, big guy." She giggled. "I already made you a plate." Bulma grinned when Vegeta snatched the plate and huffed off to sit at one of the tables.

Bulma was pleased at how well the quick barbeque was turning out. Once everyone had their fill, they stayed around longer to chat and catch up. Bulma was so happy to have friends like these.

She was still grinning happily when her phone chirped in her pocket. She answered to find her dad on the other line from the medical ward.

"Hello dear, I just wanted you to know that the female's vitals have improved greatly. I think she may wake up very soon. Her brain activity is off the charts!" he pondered; Bulma could hear the crinkle of paper on the other line and smirked. Her dad was no doubt still ogling the charts.

"Be right there!" She clapped her phone shut and jumped up from the bench. "I think our guest is waking up!" She exclaimed over her shoulder as she made her way to the woman's room.

The rest of the Z Fighters sat in silent shock, not quite sure what happened. Piccolo growled and slowly made his way to the medical ward. That damn woman had no clue if she was about the welcome a new friend or her death.

"Idiot harpy." He seethed.

Once in the woman's room, Bulma began removing the monitor from the girl's body and gently wiped her forehead with a cool, damp cloth. "Wake up, please…" she pleaded, she desperately wanted to know more about the woman, but she was still so nervous about the possibility that she would be hostile.

Once Bulma checked her pulse, she felt the woman's muscles clench taut. Before knowing the woman moved, Bulma was stuck staring at the mysterious woman's wide maroon eyes and feral snarling mouth. Incredible! She had jumped into a defensive crouch on top of the bed before Bulma could even blink.

"Remarkable…" Was the only thing Bulma could say before the woman lunged at her.

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><p>Tea was terrified. She was lost and angry at the blue female. Why was she touching her? Tea hissed at the woman, slightly pleased by the smell of fear she emanated. The woman opened her mouth, whether to speak or attack Tea did not know. She reacted on instinct and lunged at the woman. Tea grasped the woman's chin firmly in her left hand and jerked the blue girl's face closer to her as she sniffed at her neck.<p>

Flowers, smoke, fear, curiosity. Those were the only smells Tea could identify. Curious, Tea relaxed her own jaw and spoke. "Where is Frieza?"

The blue woman tried to speak but could not move her mouth in Tea's firm grip. She loosened her hand enough to let the woman speak. "Speak! Now!" She barked and the woman shivered.

"D-dead! He's gone!" she sounded panicked. Good.

Tea relaxed minutely and sighed, relieved. "Where am I?" she hated speaking this language. She recognized the patterns of the difficult dialect when the blue woman was touching her.

The woman nodded and began to explain something. Tea couldn't understand her speech patterns. The woman spoke too fast in a tongue that was still unfamiliar to Tea, even after so much time spent under Frieza's control.

Frustrated, Tea tightened her grip on the woman's jaw, effectively ceasing her blundering dialogue. Tea pulled the woman closer to her and let the fingers of her right hand rest against the stranger's temples.

Tea was able to penetrate the woman's mental barriers easily enough. She must not be trained in this art, she was shaking and her thoughts were erratic and unorganized. Tea sighed as she started to project calmness and trust into the blue woman's mind. She searched for the truth behind her capture in this cold place. She filtered through the nonsense of this woman's vast mind and froze cold when she saw the ship that had almost been her grave. She persuaded the woman into letting the memory play forward.

The whole scene was hard for Tea to watch. She sifted through images of her own battered body being carried away by a tall, emerald man. Tea watched as the blue woman struggled to care for a stranger that was so biologically different from her own species.

Regret and shame filled Tea's being. She had attacked the woman that had saved her life. Tea released the woman gently and guided her to sit on the bed behind her.

Tea kneeled and placed the woman's hands in her own. "Forgive me." She whispered. "I did not know." Tea paused and stood, "Thank you." She said confidently as she held her hand out to the kind blue woman. "Friend. Never foe." She bowed her head as the blue woman grinned and shook her hand.

"Sounds good! You had me worried there!"


	2. Judgement

A/N: Hello guys! I want to thank everyone who read the first chapter in this series, I hope you guys will continue reading later on when everything starts to get a little better.

[Big thanks to Sejii and dragon96 for the great reviews they gave me. ]

Disclaimer: Dragonball, DragonballZ, and DragonballGT are all owned by FUNimation, Toei Animation, Fujii TV, and Akira Toriyama.

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><p>"I'm Bulma, by the way." The blue woman smiled sweetly.<p>

Tea arched an eyebrow. Bulma… It was her name. "Bulma..." the word felt odd con her tongue. "I am Tea, I am not familiar with this language." She replied with a frown.

Bulma nodded, "That's what I thought." She smiled quickly before movement in the doorway caught her eye. It was Piccolo, what was he doing here? And why does he look so angry? "Hey, Piccolo." She greeted. "How long have you been there?"

Tea turned to the doorway. It was the emerald man, the one that pulled her from Frieza's ship. His name was Piccolo.

Piccolo grunted. He'd been here since the alien attacked Bulma. He had almost killed her then, but the look of utter terror on her face made him hesitate. Then that old bastard, Kami, butted into his thoughts. So what if he wanted to assess this alien? It wasn't any of his business in the first place. But, if Kami could figure out if she was lying about being friendly or not, the old man could come in handy.

"Kami wants to speak with the alien." He snapped.

Bulma scrunched her nose; she wanted to introduce Tea to the Z Fighters while they were all in one place. She couldn't argue with Kami, though. "Well, go on and take her. Just make sure he knows she's telepathic. She almost scared me to death with the stunt she pulled earlier." Bulma stated sheepishly and turned to leave the room.

Piccolo snorted and looked to the alien, her color had returned, good. He scowled and turned on his heel. "Follow me."

Tea obliged quickly and rushed to catch up with Piccolo. "Thank you." She whispered to his back. "For helping me." She added quickly.

Piccolo huffed, not bothering to face the woman. "Forget it." He turned on the woman when they were outside, "Can you fly?" his words were harsh, almost masking the question in his sentence.

Tea looked up at Piccolo. Surprisingly, she didn't have to look up far. He felt a lot taller in the building, but now she could tell that she only came up to his shoulders. "Fly?" she asked, genuinely confused by his question.

Piccolo's scowl deepened. Perfect, he'd have to carry her to Kami's Lookout. "Never mind." He spat as he advanced on the woman, grabbed her middle and hoisted her over his left shoulder. He then powered up and flew off at top speed.

Tea shrieked at first, but was able to calm herself. Piccolo must be a warrior. Only the warrior of her home tribes had the unique ability to fly. And none of them would carry another while in flight. It was invigorating.

Tea would have laughed like a hatchling if it were not for the pain in her chest. She also would have told Piccolo of the pain he was causing her if she could only find the proper words to do so. She decided that she would have to tell him the only way she knew how.

Piccolo flinched when he felt the woman palm the back of his neck. "What are you doing?" he fought back the urge to toss her down. Surprisingly, he felt her pushing at the walls around his mind. With reluctance, he lowered them and was immediately regretting his decision.

He could feel her pain. It was immense and he was causing it. He stopped abruptly and pulled her over his shoulder. He decided that cradling her like a child would cause the least amount of pain. Piccolo quickly pulled the walls back over his mind and resumed flight. "Ribs. Those are what hurts." He clarified for her. "A lot of yours are broken."

Tea's brows furrowed, "Ribs..." So she had broken ribs. No doubt from Frieza. "Thank you." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but she was sure he heard her.

A hearty "Feh" Was his only response.

* * *

><p>"Mr. Popo, could you please prepare tea for our guests?" Kami never turned his head away from the direction that Piccolo was coming from, but Mr. Popo still rushed off to complete his task.<p>

This woman's power was strange. Kami could feel her chi, but it wasn't as strong as some of the other Z Fighters. He also felt her awareness of everything living around her. It was intriguing. She was also trained fervently in some practice he was not familiar with. But the strength of her mind was what fascinated him the most.

Before Kami could contemplate the stranger any farther, Piccolo landed on the Lookout, cradling the girl to his chest. Kami smiled and opened his arms wide in welcome. "Hello, stranger. Welcome to Kami's Lookout." He took a few steps forward and clutched his staff. "I'm Kami, the Guardian of Earth." He grinned as he motioned to the approaching genie. "And this is my good friend, Mr. Popo."

Piccolo lowered the alien's legs to the ground and released her torso when she stood. She turned and thanked him, but he only crossed his arms and walked away to meditate.

Tea's brows furrowed at Piccolo's hasty departure, but she decided to leave him be. Instead, she turned to the Elder and bowed her head slightly. "I'm Tea." She smiled softly.

Kami ducked his head in response and approached Tea. He slid his arm around her shoulders and motioned her into the kitchen where Mr. Popo had prepared tea. "Come, child. We have much to discuss."

Kami guided the woman to the kitchen with Mr. Popo close behind. Once inside, Kami pulled a chair out for Tea and motioned for her to sit. Mr. Popo was already fixing a glass of tea for the woman and himself and already had a glass of water ready for Kami.

Kami smiled as he took a sip from his glass. "Now, Tea, what brings you to Earth?"

Tea's brows furrowed in frustration. She knew the story well, but was still unfamiliar in this language. She wouldn't be able to explain herself. Tea sighed as she took a drink from the odd beverage in front of her. Kami called it tea, it was actually refreshing. "I do not think I have the words to answer." She looked over at Kami, he was smiling, obviously pleased at something.

"Well, there is another way we could discuss this matter. It will do for now, but I do believe I will have to give you lessons on our language if you are to remain here." He smiled pleasantly at Tea. She seemed civil.

Kami lowered the shields of his mind and pushed at Tea's. He knew she was trained in telepathy, he secretly hoped that she would not disappoint him.

Tea's brows shot up in surprise. This guardian was knocking on her mental shields. She smirked; he knew she was a telepath. Good, she wouldn't have to force herself on him. She lowered her shields and allowed the Elder to search her memories.

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><p>Disappoint was the last thing this young lady did. Though, he did not want to call her young. She was over sixty, still young to her people but, at around thirty human years old, she was much older than she seemed. She was humble, as well. Patience, stealth, and humility had been trained into this woman.<p>

He could feel her memories of hunting, she was graceful and at home in the wild. Hunter is what her people called her class. She was a hunter, her chi was powerful, but her tribe did not allow much chi training for her class.

Kami pushed farther into her mind. He wanted to know more of her race. And as soon as he pushed for that knowledge, he could hear Tea's voice echo through his thoughts. _'We are Laythians. Layth is my home.'_ He smiled and softly thanked her for her compliance.

As quickly as his smile appeared, it vanished. She was pushing her memories of Frieza into his mind. So much pain and betrayal followed suit. Frieza had come to her planet looking for soldiers and assassins for his army. He took many warriors and hunters from tribes across her planet. And once Frieza had what he needed he demolished Layth with glee.

She was there. She watched her home and family be destroyed. Kami couldn't fathom how this woman stayed pure. She had denied Frieza's assassin training and was sold into slavery shortly after. She couldn't bring herself to kill for an evil like Frieza, so she suffered for months while Frieza used her as a whipping child for his anger.

And, as a final insult to this poor woman, Frieza mercilessly beat Tea to vent his anxiety about arriving on Earth to defeat Goku. The monster left her to die in his prison and felt no remorse. She was angry with Frieza that much Kami could understand. But, she was not consumed by grief or hatred. She was still a pure soul.

Kami smiled at Tea's resilience. She was a strong woman with no intent to harm the innocent. With proper chi and martial arts training, she would be a reliable ally to the Z Fighters. But, the language barrier would prove to be maddening.

Kami sighed and spoke through Tea's mind. _'Child, you need lessons in our language. I will allow you to stay here, but brace yourself. I am about to relay my knowledge of Earth's native tongue.'_

Tea relaxed as best she could, but the information she was getting from Kami was vast. She already felt an understanding of this language. And with a few more sessions with Kami, she should have it feel normal to her. She was pleased with herself; she was able to obtain a mass amount of familiarity of the language in just one sitting.

Kami exhaled as he pulled himself from Tea and built his barriers back up. She was a fast learner.

Tea smiled and took another drink of the earthy beverage in front of her. "That was exhilarating, Kami. It has been too long since I last communicated properly through telepathy."

Kami smiled as he handed his empty glass to Mr. Popo. "I am glad you enjoyed our time together, Tea. I must confess that I thought bringing forth such terrible memories would darken your mood.

Tea smirked, "It takes more that memory to break me, Kami. Even Frieza could not control me. I would never allow memories to do what he could not." She smiled up at Mr. Popo as he took her glass. "And thank you, Mr. Popo, the tea was quite refreshing."

Mr. Popo grinned sheepishly. "You are most welcome, Tea, I do hope you will make visits with Kami and me routine."

"As do I, Mr. Popo. Tea, you are welcome here as often as you would like." Kami smiled, Tea was already speaking quite well. Her thick accent and rolled 'r's being the only remnant of her unfamiliarity with the language. "I am sure you would like to get back to Bulma's to acclimatize and find your place among the Earthlings. But before I let you leave, I must ask Piccolo to take you to Master Korin for a senzu bean. I'm sure you do not want to spend weeks healing your injuries before you can properly adjust."

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><p>AN: Lana again! I'm just going to let you guys know that I'll probably have a new chapter up every 5 or so days, so make sure you keep up!


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